Mirror visual feedback therapy was initially used with unilateral upper extremity amputees for phantom limb pain and has progressed to treat patients with other pain syndromes. Mirror therapy has also been used to treat phantom pain in the lower extremity and, more recently, to promote motor recovery in the leg of stroke patients. In general, mirror therapy treatment methods consist of placing an impaired limb inside of a box with a mirror attached to the side while the healthy limb is positioned adjacent to the mirror outside the box. In some treatment methods, a physical therapist then directs the patient in guided movements and mental imagery, while visualizing the healthy limb reflection. This noninvasive process utilizes visual feedback to promote brain plasticity to afford a reduction in disability and/or pain.
Up until now, prior mirror boxes could not be configured to easily accommodate patients in both a short sit (elevated sitting position) and a long sit position, including treatment of both right and left unhealthy limbs. Furthermore, prior mirror boxes were not configured to prevent a patient from “cheating” by looking into the mirror box to view their unhealthy limb, as opposed to the reflection of their healthy limb through the external mirror.